


A Day (un)Like Any Other

by Mster70



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ben being clueless, Established Relationship, F/M, Feel-good, Fluff, Rey being a sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-06-02 00:02:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6542215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mster70/pseuds/Mster70
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not that Ben would ever complain, but Rey is being a little <em>too</em> nice today, and it’s starting to worry him. Waking up to breakfast in bed (and a little something extra), getting the whole day off of training and base duties to go for a hike -- and all too typically, she's being as enigmatic as possible about the whole thing. Rey's up to something, he’s certain of it, but he’s still at a loss as to what it is he’s forgetting that makes <em>today</em> so kriffing special.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Day (un)Like Any Other

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tfwfangirlsatk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tfwfangirlsatk/gifts).



> A birthday gift for my dear friend Kristen :D

Mornings had taken on a new meaning since he’d left the First Order. For one thing, he no longer was woken up by blood-chilling mental summons to the Supreme Leader’s audience chamber, and there were far fewer occasions where he woke up in a cold sweat, a scream caught in the back of his throat from a terrifyingly vivid nightmare.

To say things were better now -- well, it’d be a massive understatement, in all honesty. True, some days he was rudely awoken by a loud snore or a sharp kick to the shin; occasionally he’d have the blankets ripped off of him suddenly, then be enthusiastically and impatiently dragged out of bed to go to the training grounds at some Force-forsaken hour before dawn.

It was all worth it though, to be able to fall asleep next to _her_ , compact and desert-warm body tucked against his own. At the thought, he rolls over and blindly reaches out for Rey, but his hand finds nothing except for empty sheets, still body-warm and rumpled from the night before.

That was... unusual. They were both moderately early risers, but most days Ben was up first - and if not, Rey would typically wake him up inadvertently with the way she barreled and banged around their shared quarters getting ready for the day.

This morning, it’s strangely, almost eerily, quiet - and when Ben takes a deep breath, jaw cracking with a yawn, he swears he can actually smell breakfast cooking. He takes another sniff curiously - and there it is, something greasy frying, the nutty aroma of fresh-brewed caf lingering underneath. His eyes aren’t quite ready to open yet, despite the tempting smell of food, so he turns over and buries his head under the heavy quilt to block out the sunlight streaming through the crack between the curtains.

Suddenly the mattress is shifting under him, the blanket tugged down, and Ben wakes with a start, realizing he’d drifted off again. He rubs at his eyes, blinking blearily as a familiar pair of small, warm hands move up his thighs under the sheets. He feels a tug on the drawstring of his sleep pants, then obligingly lifts his hips as the Rey-shaped lump under the quilt pulls down his undershorts and pants in one go. His sleep-dazed mind is too hazy and slow to argue with what his reptilian brain has apparently already processed, although he snaps fully awake suddenly when he feels the first press of wet heat on his groin, just a few inches shy of where he really wants it.

Ben scrabbles at the hem of the quilt and lifts the blanket up to peer underneath, where Rey’s settled on her stomach and elbows between his spread thighs, still clad in the overlarge shirt of his she filched to sleep in. “Good morning?” he mumbles, brows drawn together in confusion and voice still deep and rumbly from sleep.

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Rey responds with a wicked grin, humming as she dips her head down to take him in her mouth. Ben gasps in surprise and throws his head back, hand automatically reaching down to thread fingers through her unbound hair.

“What -- what are you doing, Rey?” he grits out, lifting the blanket back up again with one hand and groaning at what he sees there. She’s looking at him, eyes flashing with desire and determination in equal parts while she slides her mouth over him in smooth, long strokes. He tugs the quilt and sheets off of them completely then, uncaring that they land in an unceremonious heap on the bedroom floor. She _knows_ what this does to him, the little minx, the smirk on her face proving it completely as she slides her lips off of him with a wet _pop_ of lost suction.

“That’s a silly question, Ben. You know perfectly well what I’m doing.” The coyness in her voice is as total odds with the way she bends her head down again to lick a hot stripe up the length of him, and he shivers involuntarily at the feeling.

He may be half asleep with quite a large portion of his blood flow diverted much lower than his brain at the moment, but Ben still has enough wherewithal to roll his eyes at Rey’s comment. “You know what I -- _fuck,_ right there -- what I meant,” he says with a grunt as he feels a particularly strong pull of suction that makes him wince in the pleasure-pain he never can get enough of. Damn, his girl knows him well. “ _Why_ are you sucking me off? Believe me, I’m not complaining, but this isn’t exactly our normal morning routine.”

Rey shrugs and gives him another smile, or as much of one as she can manage with her lips still stretched around him. “Let’s just say that today isn’t exactly a _normal day_ , alright?” she responds with a half-shrug between sucks and sloppy licks.

Ben has no fucking clue what she might be talking about, what could make today anything other than a completely typical day at the Resistance base on D’Qar, but honestly he could care less. He’s about forty-five seconds from losing it, and if Rey keeps doing that -- _swirly thing_ with her tongue, it might be even sooner.

“Fuck, Rey, _fuuuck._ I’m going to --”

She looks up at him again then, eyes flashing, nodding once as she increases her pace fractionally, gives one last strong suck and he’s gone.

When he comes back to himself and opens his eyes again, Rey’s kneeling over him and wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand, eyes lit with affectionate amusement. He feels wrung out, half ready to roll back over and go to sleep, but he reaches out for her anyway. “Come here, love. Your turn?”

Rey smiles and shakes her head, pecking him on the lips before bounding off of the bed. “Thanks, but I’m fine. Your breakfast is going to get cold soon, anyway.” His shirt falls nearly to her knees on her, and warmth blooms in his chest at the sight of her as she moves to fiddle with something on the nightstand. He looks over and sees what he’d been too -- well, _distracted_ to notice before, a lumpy shape on the little table covered in a few of the dishtowels from their kitchenette.

The ex-scavenger turns to see Ben looking at her inquisitively and her cheeks tinge pink. “Sorry, we didn’t have anything better to keep the food warm so I had to... improvise a bit,” she chuckles as she finishes unwrapping the tray and slides it to the edge of the nightstand toward Ben. “I know I’m not the best cook, but I tried to do most of your favorites. Some eggs, a bit of the fresh bread you like, and caf,” she says brightly, moving out of the way so he can scoot to the edge of the bed and eat.

“Rey, I -- uh, thanks, you didn’t have to. This is really nice of you,” Ben says, genuinely surprised and honestly growing a little concerned. Was she trying to coax him into a good mood before she gave him some terrible news? Did she plan on breaking things off with him? Unbidden, his mind takes a terrifyingly sharp spiral down for a moment before Rey shocks him out of it with a kiss to his cheek.

“I see that look, Solo. You’re such a worrier. I just wanted to do something nice for you today, alright? Eat your breakfast and relax,” she laughs, smoothing a hand through his hair affectionately. “I’m going to go get in the ‘fresher and get ready. Wear something comfortable for walking around in today, we’re going for a hike.”

She bounces out of the bedroom, leaving Ben utterly befuddled. He’s not about to complain or argue, especially after his stomach lets out a loud gurgle, apparently emptier than he had thought, but this all was very... unexpected. He shakes his head ruefully, shrugs and digs into the plate in front of him with abandon. Honestly, after some of the shit he’s been through, it takes a little more than a morning blow job and breakfast in bed to surprise him these days.

 

True to her word, Rey brings them out on a hike as soon as they’re both dressed and ready. Apparently - and he doesn’t dare ask how - she had gotten them out of the various trainings and duties that usually filled their days around the base. When he asks, she gets a little dodgy about the whole thing, waving it off and changing the subject, so he shakes his head and decides to drop it.

Ben knows Rey, and he knows she’s up to _something_. He’s not worried, because he trusts the ex-scavenger with his life, and also because she’d assured him several times not to be. It _could_ be that she simply thought they needed a break, a day to spend together without getting tangled in the bustle around the Resistance bunker, and had talked his mother and uncle into getting their schedules cleared. More likely there was something else at work here, but for now Ben wasn’t going to let it concern him.

They’d been training hard with Luke for months on end now, with off-days very few and far between, and already he can feel the residual tension and bone-weariness leaking out after they’ve hiked a few klicks. They needed this, no matter what Rey's convoluted plan behind it all might be.

The day is warm and unusually sunny, a welcome contrast to the normally overcast skies of D’Qar. Their feet follow the well-worth path easily, trekking through the woods towards a little ridge that offers a great view of the wide-spread forest around the bunker. Although the trail is a bit narrow, Rey squeezes up next to him, snaking her arm around his waist as they walk. It’s not the most comfortable way to hike, but Ben smiles and throws one long arm over the young woman's shoulders, pulling her snug against his side until their hips are bumping on nearly every step.

Her warmth and proximity do things to him, unsurprisingly, and they make it another half klick before Ben’s pushing her back up against a tree and capturing her lips with his own. She reciprocates the kiss hungrily, little fingers flying down to the buckle of his pants surely and swiftly. Using the Force, he fans out his awareness to double-check no one is nearby; the forest is predictably deserted and once he nods to give her the all-clear, she’s gotten them both stripped in a matter of a minute.

Ben picks her up, hands splayed under her ass as her legs wrap around his waist, and carries her a short distance off of the trail just to be safe. Not everyone on the base was supportive of Ben, the ex-Knight of Ren, or of Rey’s relationship with him - it was best not to give them anything to fuel that dislike, such as stumbling upon the two of them fucking against a tree right on the walking path. Indecent exposure and lewd public acts were generally frowned upon by the personnel at the base - something they'd unfortunately learned the hard way.

Ben finds them a suitable spot, mossy ground giving way gently under his back as Rey pushes him down and straddles him, having Ben the way they both prefer, the ex-scavenger sinking down on him and setting a brutal-quick pace. Rey rides Ben to within an inch of his life, leaving him sticky-sated and panting heavily, too blissed out to move once she's finished with him.

When she slips off of him and offers a hand up, he groans and stubbornly stays supine on the ground. She rolls those pretty hazel eyes at him and he snorts in response, commenting that twice in a few hours was a lot for him, so she should cut him a bit of slack. The look she gives him then is full of filthy promise, _don’t you dare think I’m done with you yet_ falling off her lips with a laugh as she pulls him to his feet and tosses his clothes at his chest.

Redressed and back on the path, they continue their hike and fall into a moderate pace. Once they reach the top of the ridge, they sit down for a break. Both are a little winded from the climb, but the exercise is nothing compared to the drills Luke puts them through on a daily basis - Ben had thought _Snoke_ was a demanding master, but he'd learned the real meaning of 'working your ass off' under his uncle's rigorous tutelage. 

They sit in silence for a handful of minutes, eyes scanning the vibrantly green landscape spread out all around them, the view from the ridge truly incredible. Ben turns when he hears Rey clear her throat, mouth opening and closing a few times as though she's still deciding over her words.

“Do you ever stop and think how weird it is, sometimes, that you’re here right now?” Rey asks suddenly, gaze meeting his as she slips her small fingers between his own much larger ones.

He pulls their joined hands onto his knee and runs a thumb over her knuckles as he answers. “All the fucking time, really. I still feel like I’m suddenly going to wake up and realize this was all some strangely perfect dream and that I’m still with the First Order, stuck behind that awful mask.”

Rey grins and pinches the meaty part of his upper arm, hard. He yelps and shoots her an indignant look, _what the hell was that for?_ implicit in his expression as he rubs at his bicep. “There, now we know for sure you aren’t dreaming,” she laughs, leaning over to plant a sloppy-wet kiss on his cheek before her expression grows contemplative again. “I’m really glad you’re here, Ben. I love you every day, but today especially... I just want you to know that you’re a very important part of my life and I appreciate how hard you work to make things right after what happened in your past.”

Ben sits speechless for a moment, eyes wide as a grin starts to tug at the corner of his mouth. “I love you too, Rey,” he murmurs earnestly, leaning over to drop a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m still a bit confused about what makes today so special, though. Am I forgetting something important?”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head, Ben Solo,” Rey giggles, reaching over to muss his long hair. “You’ll figure it out soon enough. In the meantime, just enjoy this lovely day we get to ourselves, alright?”

Ben shakes his head and sighs. “You’re horrible with keeping secrets, you know that?” he chides as he gets up, brushing the dirt off his pants and offering Rey a hand up.

“I seem to be doing okay with it so far, considering you still have no fucking clue what’s going on,” she teases, ignoring the tall man's proffered hand and springing up to her feet. Ben rolls his eyes again but he can’t keep straight-faced when she sticks her tongue out at him, just a little, when she thinks he isn’t looking.

They wind their way back down the ridge on the switchback path, falling into an easy chatter about the recent goings-on around the bunker, gossip among the Resistance personnel, the mediocre food they serve in the mess hall - silly little things like that. The kinds of things they almost never have time to talk about, the things that make their lives sound almost _normal_ for the half hour the conversation stretches over. The two of them aren’t normal, and in some ways Ben’s glad for it, glad they can and will have such a pivotal role in the war currently waging through the galaxy - but Force, does it feel nice to just _forget_ about all of that for a little while, let the stress and weight of it on their shoulders melt away.

After another couple klicks along the trail, they’ve made it to Ben’s favorite spot. It’s a tiny lake, set back from the path, pleasantly calm and secluded. He comes here to meditate quite often, when he’s having a rough day, feeling the sickly-sweet pull of the dark side and needing to get away to re-center himself. He’s brought Rey here a handful of times - once for a memorable late-night skinny dip, he recalls with a smirk.

Rey strides ahead of him purposefully into the little clearing, plopping down by the lakeshore and tugging off her boots to dip her feet in the water. She waves Ben over when he hesitates for a moment watching her, then shakes himself and follows suit, sinking his own feet up to the ankle in the lake. They relax there for another hour, laying back and sunning themselves, slipping into a light meditation together just to feel the Force thrumming between them. Rey had packed a couple of ration bars in her bag, and she tosses one to him after the sun reaches its zenith.

After they’ve eaten, she gets up and pulls Ben after her, retreating under the shade of a tree to spread out for a nap. Ben usually doesn’t indulge in sleep during the day, as it’s never been something he’d had the time for, but he finds himself quickly drifting off with Rey’s head pillowed on his chest, body going lax and mind fogging over pleasantly. 

They wake up slowly and wander back to the lake shore, shuffling in the sand until things escalate into a splash fight and Ben, predictably, ends up completely drenched after being pushed straight into the lake by an overzealous Rey. He’s mad about it for thirty seconds or so, then Rey can’t hold her laughter in and calls him a drowned womprat - he’s powerless to do anything but laugh along until they’re nearly doubled over with it.

It doesn’t seem possible to Ben, how quickly this day is going by, but he looks at the sky and suddenly the sun is descending down the other side of the horizon. Rey sighs, reluctantly going to retrieve her pack and suggesting that they head back to the base for dinner. Ben nods follows her back to the trail, clothes still dripping a bit with lake water. Rey gives him an odd look and snorts out a laugh, Ben completely confused until she reaches up and pulls a strand of seaweed out of his hair.

She waves the green, slimy thing in front of his face teasingly. He snatches it right from her fingers, reflexes lightning-quick, and flings it straight at her nose in retaliation. She dodges, a shocked look coming over her face before rapidly morphing into a manic thirst for vengeance.

Ben's eyes widen and he turns and bolts with a bark of laughter, but Rey gains on him quickly. In his haste to get away he trips over a root and lands face-first on the forest floor. Rey helps him up, fussing at the little scrape on his cheek for a handful of heartbeats before eyeing the grass stains on his already sodden clothes and hiding a laugh behind her hand.

She gives him shit about it the whole hike back the base, of course, about how silly he’ll look strolling into the bunker wet, dirty, and a little bloodied. He banters right back at her, always able to give as good as he gets, and by the time they’re within sight of the bunk he thinks he feels the most relaxed he has in _years_ , his cheeks sore from laughter and his heart feeling feather-light.

 

Ben’s tired, and dressed in damp, grass-stained clothes to boot, but when he asks if he can head back to their quarters and Rey can just bring him a tray back from the mess, she adamantly refuses. For a minute, he thinks she means to make him go to the dining hall in his present state. It wouldn’t surprise him, really - she gets quite the kick out of showing off how thoroughly she can kick his ass when she puts her mind to it, but even Rey has limits when it comes to embarrassing her boyfriend.

Thankfully, she agrees that they should go back to their quarters and change. Ben ducks into the ‘fresher for a quick rinse so he doesn’t smell like an unpleasant mix of sweat and brackish lake water, and when he comes out with a towel slung low on his hips, Rey’s sitting on the bed with a set of clothing already laid out for him.

“What, you don’t trust me to dress myself anymore?” he quips as he walks to the bed, dropping the towel and smirking when her eyes dart - and linger - on his groin, her cheeks flushing prettily.

She pulls her gaze away from his crotch to meet his eyes, one delicately-arched eyebrow raised in amusement. “I just want you to wear something nice for dinner,” she responds, standing up from the bed and thrusting a pair of briefs at him and moving towards the bathroom, making it clear the matter is not up for discussion.

“Wear something nice -- to go eat in the kriffing _mess hall_?” he asks, forehead creasing in confusion. “You’re not very subtle Rey, I know you’re up to something here!” Ben has to shout the last few words, as Rey walks out of the room laughing, shutting the bathroom door none-too-gently behind her.

He rolls his eyes and puts on the damn clothes. If nothing else, at least it seems as though he’ll soonget to the bottom of what this ridiculous (and, he supposes he has to admit, quite wonderful) day has been all about.

Rey leads him down the corridor, surprisingly not towards the mess but instead in the direction of the bunker’s cluster of conference rooms. He doesn’t even ask, because he can already guess what kind of cryptic and unhelpful answer she'd give him. He can't quite put together where they'd be going that they needed to dress in anything but their normal casual attire, but his mind races with possibilities anyway as they near whatever destination they're heading to, occasionally turning to give Rey an appreciative glace, enjoying seeing her a little dressed up for a change.

He’d done a double-take when she’d come out of the bathroom wearing a simple, but beautiful and very flattering, dress and what he could swear was a bit of actual make-up. At his starring, she’d let out a nervous laugh and asked if something looked strange or off, if she should go change, but he’d been swift to bolt off the bed and wrap his arms around her, murmuring reassurances into her neck. She looked ludicrously good, practically _radiant_ , and he’d made sure to let her know. Rey had to peel him off of her, laughing and insisting they leave to get dinner before he withered away, his traitorous stomach choosing that particular moment to growl loudly.

Even now, he can’t help but keep sneaking looks over at her as they walk, Rey slipping her arm into his and assuring him they were almost there. The make arrive at an unmarked door, and Rey knocks with two swift, rhythmic raps of her knuckles before twisting the knob to push inside.

The room is pitch black, and Ben balks for a second before Rey sighs and pulls him after her with a fist balled in the front of his shirt. For a second there’s nothing, just stifling darkness, and he reaches out tentatively with the Force. Not that he doesn’t trust Rey, he’s just confused as hell about where they are and why --

The lights come on with a sudden intensity that has him squinting, but before he can even process anything he’s seeing the sound hits him loud enough to make him jump, startled.

“SURPRISE! Happy birthday, Ben!” he hears, shouts coming from nearly every angle, and his shocked-wide eyes land abruptly on the colorful banner hanging from the rafters, spelling out _HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, BEN!_ In bright, bold letters.

He resists the temptation to put his hand to his forehead and groan, because there’s a room full of expectant people waiting on his (positive) reaction, their eyes all trained on him. He gives the group a bashful smile, and his mother barrels towards him, wrapping him up in a tight hug. Everything slots into place suddenly, the day’s events finally making perfect sense. So _this_ was what he had forgotten about, the reason Rey had been spoiling him and acting so mysterious. He feels like a bit of an idiot for not realizing, really, but that feeling is trumped by the warmth of his mother's embrace.

“Oh, Ben, you completely forgot, didn’t you?” Leia teases as she releases him, eyes crinkling with amusement. He reaches a hand up to the back of his neck sheepishly, skin hot and rapidly reddening with embarrassment.

“I don’t even remember the last time I actually celebrated my birthday, mom, so it shouldn’t be all that unexpected that the date might slip my mind,” he mumbles.

The general’s expression falls for a moment, a frown reaching her eyes, but she shakes her head and her mouth twitches up in a grin again. “I remember, Ben. You were turning thirteen and I made your favorite chocolate cake - but you seemed to think you were too serious and grown-up to enjoy a party thrown by your mother anymore, now that you were training to be a Jedi. You sulked the whole time,” she says, eyes seeming to look far off as she recalls the details. “The next morning, there was a quarter of the leftover cake mysteriously missing and a dirty plate in your room,” she finishes with a grin, and Ben can’t help but chuckle at the memory. He’d gotten an awful stomachache from all the cake, but damn had it been worth it. No one made chocolate ganche cake like his mother did.

“Well, did you make the cake this time?” he asks, his mother giving him a knowing smile in response.

“Of course, Ben.”

 

Two too-large pieces of chocolate cake later, Ben sits back in a rickety old folding chair, overly full but completely content, a giggly Rey perched on one of his knees. They’re listening to Poe recount one of his early training flights, when he’d accidentally ejected himself out an X-wing and ended up with his parachute tangled in a tree, stuck ten feet off the ground for an hour before his comrades found him and nearly fallen over with laughter. Ben had heard the story at least three times now, and the hilarity had worn off somewhat - but anything beat the embarrassing stories his dad had been telling the group for awhile, until Leia had finally taken pity on her son, considering it was his birthday, and suggested he go get them some more punch. Han had walked away grumbling, but had blessedly spared him from having to listen to his father share any more tales of his (frankly, quite mortifying overall) adolescence.

They hadn’t taken any shortcuts with the party - a full thirty candles on the cake (and the obligatory joke about how the sheer number of them might start the bunker on fire if they weren’t careful), off-key singing, and even a few presents, much to Ben’s surprise. His parents had gotten him a new belt, Chewbacca a clumsily wrapped spanner wrench - for helping with _Falcon_ repairs, of course, Poe a holobook of modern poetry, and Finn a little potted plant for his and Rey’s quarters.

A couple hours pass and things wind down, people drifting off to their duties around the base or to head back to their quarters to rest up before a long day of training tomorrow. The bustle of the Resistance never quiets down completely, and before long his mother and father are saying goodnight to the rest of stragglers, which Ben suddenly notices consists of just himself, Rey, Finn, Poe, and Jessika Pava.

“Thanks for everything, mom and dad,” Ben says as they exchange quick hugs. Things can still be incredibly tense between him and his parents after everything that had happened, but right now things feel so peaceful it's almost surreal. He’s continually amazed at how accepting they’ve been ever since he made the choice to leave the First Order and escaped on the _Falcon_ with his father, Chewie, Rey, and Finn while Starkiller imploded behind them, a second chance and forgiveness that he can never thank them enough for.

“We couldn’t let you forget about your thirtieth birthday, Ben - you’re getting to be an old man like your father now,” Han teases, giving his son a firm pat on the back. The dark-haired man shakes his head and laughs, waving to his parents as they leave.

The small group that’s left makes it about fifteen more minutes before Jessika’s yawning and excusing herself with one last birthday wish, Poe and Finn quickly following suit as they wish he and Rey goodnight and head back to their own shared quarters.

He and Rey are left alone, the ex-scavenger shooting him a blindingly brilliant grin once Poe and Finn have shut the door behind them. “Quick walk before bed?” she suggests, not bothering to wait for an answer as she gathers up Ben’s presents into a spare giftbag and hands it to him as he gets up. They drop the goods off outside their door on their way out the main entrance, the hallways already quiet at this hour and the base exuding a rare calm, everyone in their quarters or stationed at their posts for the night.

Outside, the night is pleasantly warm, the stars numerous and bright enough to see by. They walk for a few minutes before Rey seems to randomly pick an open patch of grass and plop down, motioning Ben to join her.

“So, did my mother put you up to this or was it the other way around?” Ben questions once he's settled next to her, eyes alight with amusement.

“It was a team effort, really -- but your mom was the one who told me it was going to be your birthday soon, obviously.”

Ben nods, having figured as much. “I really do appreciate everything. I’ve never been one for big parties or celebrations, but this was... _nice_. It was good to see everyone, and especially to have a day to relax and spend with you.”

“Well, considering I don’t even know when _my_ birthday actually is, I wanted to do something for yours. I think this was the first birthday party I’ve ever been to.”

The tall man’s eyes widen in surprise. “I’m sorry Rey, that’s terrible.”

Rey shrugs it off, picking at a piece of grass absentmindedly. “It’s just the way it is. It’s not like I’ve known anything different, really,” she trails off, then shakes her head as if to snap out of something. “Enough with the sad stuff, though, this is your birthday and you’re supposed to be happy.”

Ben smiles and leans over for a kiss. “I _am_ happy, Rey. You make me happy, the happiest I've ever been in my life,” he says earnestly.

Rey fumbles at her side then, pulling something out of a pocket that Ben didn’t even realize she had. Leave it to Rey to pick a dress with pockets - the girl was all about practically. He can't get a good look at what she's pulled out, yet - it’s small and catches the starlight with a bright gleam. The ex-scavenger turns to him and grabs his hand, prying at his fingers until he opens his hand and she presses the thing into his palm, cool and smooth metal settling against his skin.

“It’s probably silly, but I wasn’t sure what else to get you,” she starts, eyes darting away from his sheepishly. Ben opens his hand and takes a closer look at the gift, seeing a long chain connected to some little hunk of metal. He plucks at a small clasp on the chain and lifts, the shape coalescing into a silvery necklace with what appears to be a triangular piece of durasteel scrap as the pendant.

“It’s lovely Rey, did you make this?” he asks, twisting his fingers gently to watch the light glimmer off of the metal, dull in some places and shiny in others.

The girl’s cheeks color just a bit as she explains, “it’s, ah -- a piece of scrap from the _Falcon_. Something that came off when I was doing some bodywork, and i just figured... the ship means a lot to you, and your family, but the necklace was probably a stupid idea, wasn't it? You don’t have to wear it if you don’t like it, I just thought --”

“I love it,” he whispers, shushing her with a kiss as he wraps one large hand around the back of her head and pulls her in against him. He feels her smile against his lips, and he pulls back with the softest of nips. “What’s this little indent right here?” he asks as he holds the piece of scrap up close to his face, examining how the light plays off the metal and trying to guess where on the ship the material came from.

Rey reaches over to where he’s cradling the necklace in his palm, thumb extended as she slides the digit against the small groove on one side of the pendant. “It’s my thumbprint," she explains. "Maybe it’s selfish, but I wanted to include something of myself in your present, and practice out some welding techniques with the Force, so I tried it and thought it turned out okay,” she trails off self-consciously.

In response, Ben lifts up her hand, the one she’d had pressed into his, and kisses her stuck-out thumb. He slips the chain over his head, pulling out the collar of his shirt and dropping the pendant through to let the weight of it nestle against his bare chest, metal warming up quickly with body heat. “It’s beautiful Rey. Thank you -- for this, and for everything,” he chokes out, surprised at himself with how quickly tears had welled up behind his eyes, overwhelmed with emotion from the day.

Rey smiles with relief, reaching out to squeeze Ben’s hand before she jumps up, apparently ready to head back to their quarters. Ben laughs and follows, tears quickly forgotten. He dusts off his pants as he stands, then jogs to catch up to her.

“Turning the big three-oh wasn’t that bad, then?” she asks as they set a brisk pace for the quick walk back.

“No, I don’t suppose it was. Beat my last decade and a half of birthdays, that’s for sure,” he responds, slipping his hand into hers.

She turns her hazel eyes on him, something wicked and familiar shining in her eyes and sending a tingle of warmth down his spine. “I know you’re kind of getting to be an old man now, but do you think you’ve got one more round left in you for tonight?”

Rey squeals when Ben swoops down and picks her up, throwing her over his shoulder and practically running the rest of the way back to their quarters. “ _Old man_ , eh? We’ll see if you’re still singing that same tune fours hours from now when I finally get done with you, little lady!”

Her laughter echoes down the halls, the sound making something in his chest clench and bloom with affection as he carries her back, the warm metal of the necklace bumping against his sternum, and oddly comforting weight.

In the first thirty years of his life, Ben knows he made some mistakes. Some he’s doing his best to make up for, some he’ll never be able to erase - but in a few things, he knows he did right. The young woman pounding her little fists on his back in mock-indignation was one of them - and with everything in him he knows she’s stick around, and that he’ll fight tooth and nail to keep her in his life.

Imperfect as the last thirty years may have been, there's only one thing on his mind as Ben carries this bright, beautiful spark of a woman back to the place they call home together: as long as she's with him, he can’t wait for whatever it is the next three decades have in store.

**Author's Note:**

> pop in and say hello on my [tumblr](http://mster70.tumblr.com)!


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